Pixar Animation Studios was the big winner at the 43rd Annual Annie Awards, Saturday evening (2/6) as Inside Out earned Best Animated Feature distinction along with 11 other wins including Best Directing for Pete Docter, Writing for Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley, Editing for Kevin Nolting, Music for Michael Giacchino, Production Design for Ralph Eggleston and Voice Acting for Phyllis Smith as “Sadness.”

This year was the first for the new Annie category Best Animated Feature-Independent with Filme de Papel’s Boy and the World taking this top honor.

The Best Animated Special Production was awarded to He Named Me Malala (Parkes-MacDonald/Little Door); Best Animated Short Subject to World of Tomorrow (Don Hertzfeldt); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial to Coca-Cola’s “Man and Dog” (Psyop); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children to Tumble Leaf, the “Mirror” episode (Amazon Studios and Bix Pix Entertainment); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Children to Wander Over Yonder, “The Breakfast” episode (Disney Television Animation); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production for a General Audience to The Simpsons, the “Halloween of Horror” episode (Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox Television); Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Live Action Production to The Revenant--The Bear (Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Anonymous Content, M Productions, Appian Way, RatPac-Dune Entertainment; and Best Student Film to ed (Sheridan College–Taha Neyestani).

“The Annies are drawing more attention from both our industry and the general motion picture industry,” said ASIFA-Hollywood executive director, Frank Gladstone. “We wait all year for this event and it never disappoints! It was a fun evening looking back at our history and celebrating what we have accomplished over this past year.”

This year’s Juried Award recipients included the Winsor McCay lifetime achievement award bestowed upon Joe Ranft (posthumously), Phil Roman and Isao Takahata. The Winsor McCay Award is one of the highest honors given to an individual in the animation industry in recognition for career contributions to the art of animation. And Don Hahn was this year’s June Foray award recipient which honors an individual who has given significant and benevolent contributions to the art and industry of animation.

The Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 36 categories, and have often been a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Television/BroadcastProductionChi-Ho Chan - Dragons: Race to the Edge - Episode: “Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 1” - DreamWorks Animation Television